At yesterday's Budget Hearing, Council member Ken Kraft had no problem telling mail room supervisor Camille Barlett that her services will not be needed next year. He called her position redundant because the County will soon be switching to Voice Over IP with its telephones, which is part of the responsibility of the mail room supervisor.
Bartlett presented a memo outlining what she does, trying to justify her job. But Kraft, without more than glancing at it, apparently has his mind made up. While repeatedly telling her that it's nothing personal, he seemed angry that Bartlett had sought proposals for Voice Over IP from organizations besides the one already voted on by Council. So I suspect it is personal.
"I think we have too many Chiefs and not enough Indians," he told her. "This position is not needed."
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
▼
Thursday, December 05, 2013
41 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
What does she do?
ReplyDeleteNothing. That is Ken's point. She also basically takes calls then calls the county IT help desk to ger the problem resolved. She is needless.
ReplyDeleteCounty governments do not exist to provide jobs. County governments exist to provide necessary services to citizens. Buggy whip makers had it tough as well. But eliminating their jobs at the dawn of the automobile age was the right thing to do. Same with blacksmiths. Times change. Pack extra undies and keep a marketable skill set.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteKraft has no problem voting to build an unneeded overprocve3d building in Bethlehem Twp. to provide jho0bs to his union cronies but feels the need to shaft this employee.
ReplyDeleteNice guy!
Anon 1:15 PM, go back to your blog, rolling on the floor and foaming at the mouth. If I cared, I would be taking bets on how long that gig would last, if you are being truthful. But your track record precedes you. You are old news, just like the venom you spew. If only if ... I see lawsuits in your future.
ReplyDeleteWhat union cronies where provided jobs, the county workers already have jobs. We are confused and would like you to explain this 2:03pm
ReplyDeleteI just deleted an off topic comment from the Blog Mentor. In a post about a County employee losing her job at Christmas time, he comes on here to promote himself. He is insensitive to the plight of anyone other than himself.
ReplyDeleteI might agree with Ken but he has never asked for a union employee to be laid off. He seems to go after non union employees and that concerns me.
ReplyDeleteThe union jobs he paused were the construction guys to build the overpriced Stoffa Palace. When he heard it may go non-union, he went screaming to Stoffa's office threatening to pull support. Check it out. The guy is as transparent as rain.
ReplyDeleteKraft should be ashamed of himself. A personal vendetta, nothing more.
ReplyDeleteWhat a douhsebag.
ReplyDeleteAnother personal vendetta. Doing exactly what the unions want, get rid of management so they can do what they want with no supervision.
ReplyDeleteKraft duped his colleagues into this disgraceful act. Putting a decent, hard-working employee out on the street for no reason other than spite. I hope his holidays are as miserable as hers will be.
ReplyDeleteI personally appealed to Kraft, asking him to wait until he gathered more facts. I also told him he should have the guts to talk to the woman he was hurting at Christmas. He refused. I have a dim view of this vindictive action, which I have seen from him and MxClure before. But I am surprised every member of council went along.
ReplyDeleteWhy didn't Stoffa make one of his long dramatic appeals on her behalf? he just sat there and let her drown. Inside deal!
ReplyDeleteStoffa by no means agreed to this. He just is not a confrontational person. It is not his style.
ReplyDeleteThe vote to remove this obsolete positions funding was 9 yes, for those of you who can't count that is 5 R and 4 D votes the same way it will be in 2014. What did council do? They did their job
ReplyDeleteWhat you did is violate the constitutional rights of a county employee. The government may not deprive a person of life, liberty or property without due process of law. That's what you did. You hatchet end this woman without giving her notice or an opportunity to be heard. When she rose to defend herself, she was told to sit down. It was a blatant violation of civil rights and you should all be ashamed. This will end up costing the county bc you will be sued and you will lose.
ReplyDeleteIn Ken Kraft's case, he was doing his union buddies a favor and getting rid of a nonunion boss. In Peg Ferraro's case, she had another misplaced agenda based on misinformation.
Several Council members who voted to ax this woman at Christmas time never bothered to get her side of the story.
If this is doing your job, you should resign. It was a disgusting and ugly display.
From time to time, you should read the Bill of Rights.
ReplyDeletewho are the union buddies that the favor is for? I'm dying to hear the thought process Ohare has or his proof that Kraft did this to appease union people. We are all ears mr knows everything but has zero proof to back up his posts
ReplyDeleteHe knows Kraft is a backstabber, that has become evident to many. he and McClure scheme to get rid of people they don't like.
ReplyDelete@3:31 coward
ReplyDeleteBernie since when is the guarantee of a job a constitutional right? It happens every day in the private sector. Stop dramatizing this incident beyond its scope. Otherwise the county will not be able to eliminate ANY job without your sanctified "due process" which really does not apply, and you know it. If the job is no longer needed, it should be eliminated regardless of your ill-places righteousness.
ReplyDeleteBernie since when is the guarantee of a job a constitutional right? Job losses happen every day in the private sector. Stop dramatizing this incident beyond its scope. Otherwise the county will not be able to eliminate ANY job without your sanctified "due process" which really does not apply, and you know it. If the job is no longer needed, it should be eliminated regardless of your ill-placed righteousness.
ReplyDeleteA job guarantee is not a constitutional right. Due process is a constitutional right. The government may not single out a person and fire her without notice and an opportunity to be heard. We fought a revolutionary war for the right trampled by Council on Thursday. This was a punitive measure directed at one person, and union agent Ken Kraft made sure this supervisory non union employee was denied yhe opportunity to set the record straight. He went to other council members behind her back, seeking her ouster. He never checked with the employee herself. And other than exempt positions who serve at the pleasure of the court or executive, people can't be fired without due process. This is not my sanctified due process. It is in the Bill of Rights. You should read it. It's not too long, and doesn't use any big words.
ReplyDelete"He knows Kraft is a backstabber, that has become evident to many. he and McClure scheme to get rid of people they don't like."
ReplyDeleteI agree this comment should not be made anonymously. So let me adopt it as my own.
"who are the union buddies that the favor is for? I'm dying to hear the thought process Ohare has or his proof that Kraft did this to appease union people. We are all ears mr knows everything but has zero proof to back up his posts"
ReplyDeleteIt's no secret. She is an unpopular boss. The union huy from the prison hates her guts bc he had a good thing going there. Nobody watched him. Now he has to work, and we can't have that, so he has been complaining to Council members. This employee also stopped allowing outside organizations to use county printers for their mailers. How dare she insist on stopping what essentially amounts to the theft of government services. So there's a few more calls to Kenny boy and Kraft.
Peg Ferraro is another one who needs to drop this witch hunt immediately. Peg, how would you feel if some other assholes decided to defund your daughter's job without giving her notice or an opportunity to be heard? What you have participated in actually threatens your own daughter's job security. What happens when you're no longer there? You better hope she can rely on the Constitution you just stepped on.
I am disgusted with all members oif this Council, but Ken Kraft and Peg Ferraro are the ones chiefly responsible for thios mess.
Kraft will never back down bc he has already demonstrated he's unwilling to listen to anyone but himself. McClure will join Kraft in hurting someone bc he is that way, too.
Just as the Rs were played on the budget, they've been played on this matter, too.
Bernie, You got it ma. Peg doesn't mind angling a job for her daughter and another relative, yet see was quick to move on this. I don't understand how or why county council would arbitrarily move to fire someone. They certainly have the right to create and eliminate positions but I am not of any past county councils just deciding to dump a filled position at the end of the year
ReplyDelete.
There are numerous unfilled positions that could be eliminated.
Was the need for this position discussed with Human Resources or anyone in the Admisntration? Was this the position that Allan Fowler use to have?
I find it hard to believe that this council just took it on themselves to axe someone without even an open discussion and review of the action. That is just bullshit. I have to agree with you that there is more to this than meets the eye. They are willing to spend millions on bricks and mortar without blinking an eye. They ignore basic maintenance, yet if they want you gone they act.
These guys are setting the bar pretty low as far as governmental behavior. I hope the new people elected have more ethics than these guys.
McClure has gone after people before. All the while he kisses the DA's ass for anything he wants. It would now appear Ken Kraft sees government as serving the purpose of personal revenge as well.
You keno Bernie if you want to get the true measure of someone just given them a position of power. I think we can now see some people for what they really are. In the next election I doubt McClure will survive. I hope Hunter runs against Kraft. She would slam dunk him.
Hunter would not beat Kraft. She couldn't beat an R both times she ran. As to the other remarks I'll leave it to those who know more then I about it.
ReplyDeleteWith all the union money at Kraft's command in a heavily Democratic district, he should win easily. But his hubris nearly cost him an election against an underfunded Seth Vaughn. In his first term, he tried to return to a troubled and politically corrupt world of elected row officers; needlessly attacked two employees who sit on the CACLV board; and now is firing people at Christmas. He should be venerable to a good candidate.
ReplyDeleteHe should have fired more employees. NORCO is top heavy and needs to be trimmed. I only hope you condemn john brown the same way when he gets rid of the dead weight
ReplyDeleteIf positions are eliminated due to budget constraints, that's one thing. But Kraft and eight other members of Council, eliminated this job bc, in Kraft's own words, "there's too many chiefs." He also criticized her competence. She was entitled to due process.
ReplyDeleteGood!! Brown and council should look at some of the super top heavy salaries in the Human Services Department. With all the moaning about not having any money some of these people are pulling down some serious change totally out of whack with the private sector.
ReplyDeleteA few barely show up to work.
I see. Let's get rid of all nonunion supervisors and allow lunatics like Jim Gregory to run the asylum. Sounds like a plan.
ReplyDeleteFree Greggy. Fire the hacks.
ReplyDeleteAs a former business owner and someone who has been involved at the county I wonder if the people on this blog with all of the answers ever ran anything. I wonder if they ever put themselves out there to learn and to try to make a difference. So much criticism from people who are so smart they never bother to get involved. It is remarkable how simple some think it is to run a county and in doing so you always make some happy and some unhappy. There has to be a mix and no matter what they have to try to make their best decisions. The more political the person the less balance as it gets in the way too much of the time.
ReplyDeleteSo instead of just complaining and hating the exe. Maybe go to the citizens academy or get elected. See if u can make everyone happy. .
The citizen academy, incidentally, is administered by the person whose position Kraft and the rest of Council voted to eliminate,
ReplyDeleteThe citizen academy was a waste and bureaucracy feel good project anyway. Good riddance. Waste of employee time.
ReplyDeleteWas this woman Stoffa's former secretary in Lehigh County? If so council did the right thing. It is not the county's job to take care of Stoffa's girlfriends.
ReplyDeleteNo, she was not. That is just a lie.
ReplyDelete